In fabricating disk drives, such as heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) disk drives, it may be necessary to bond components together. For example, in conventional HAMR disk drives, a laser provides energy used to heat the media for magnetic recording. The laser typically takes the form of a laser diode. The laser diode provides light to a waveguide that is on the substrate. The waveguide then directs light toward the media. For the HAMR disk drive to function as desired, the region at which the laser emits light (emission exit) is aligned with the entrance of the waveguide. The laser and slider are then bonded together.
In order to align the laser diode with the waveguide, fiducial marks are typically used. Both the laser diode (or laser subassembly) and the slider typically include fiducial marks. The fiducial marks on the laser diode are aligned with corresponding fiducial marks on the slider. The two components are then bonded together.
Although the conventional method of bonding the laser diode to the slider may function, misalignments may arise. For example, alignment using fiducial marks may not sufficiently align the emission exit of the laser with the waveguide entrance. In addition, the laser diode may shift with respect to the slider during bonding. As a result, the laser may not provide a desired amount of light to the waveguide entrance for the conventional HAMR disk drive to function as desired. Accordingly, what are needed are improved methods and systems for providing HAMR disk drives having the desired alignment between the laser and slider.